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The Terror
This is the seventh episode of Vale, season 5. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment! '' '' '' ''The Terror "I am so hungry. I could eat five cats plus a squirrel and still have room for more," Specklenose announced, striding out of the warriors' den with his fur still mussed from sleep. "Good morning, dear friends." "It's evening," said Minkears dryly. He squinted at her. "No, the sun is clearly rising to the East." "Actually, it's setting," Cammy said. "You're looking West." Specklenose crinkled his nose. "Oh. Hmph. Well, can't blame me for sleeping in. Last night was exhausting." "Last night? You didn't even come with us to get the Life-Rock," snorted Fire. Sheepishly, he said, "Oh yeah. I was just tired, okay? Sheesh. You sleep a little extra and everyone around here is a critic." I pretended to glance up with exaggerated interest. "Wait, are we criticizing Specklenose? That's my favorite hobby." "Hobby implies you do it in your free time. I do it all the time," said Minkears. In a more serious voice, Specklenose said, "So you guys really brought the Life-Rock back?" "Keep it down," Fire warned him. "We weren't supposed to tell anyone." "And I'd rather not relive it, to be honest," I said, shuddering. The others were concerned with Viperstar's obsession with the Life-Rock, but I was equally worried about what I'd seen down in the tunnels where he'd hidden it. No normal cat could've dreamed that up, the perfectly placed obstructions, both physical and mental. It was genius, in a diabolical, sadistic way. The brambles--easily avoided aboveground, but a dense, almost impenetrable wall in the tunnel. You had to cover yourself in a thousand cuts just to walk a few tail-lengths. The bones--not only sharp and vicious, but terrifying. You couldn't walk through without questioning whose corpse you were treading on, or how the creature had died. And the final catch: the pile of rocks the Life-Rock had sat upon, which was all that was keeping the tunnel from caving in. You would have to risk destroying yourself to get the final prize. I was convinced I had just gotten a never-before-seen glimpse into the mind of Viperstar, and I was beyond afraid of what I'd seen. I had drawn the line in the sand. What had I gotten my Clan into? What was the alternative? ''I argued with myself. ''We couldn't have stayed in the Order. Either way, SpringClan was threatened with destruction. But that didn't make it any easier to come to terms with my decision. "Breezeflight? Earth to Breezeflight? Are you okay?" Minkears nudged me. "Huh? Oh yeah, fine, thanks. I just realized I promised Brightpaw that we'd go training this evening." Frowning, Specklenose said, "You've gotten barely any sleep in two days. I'm sure she'd understand if you postponed." I shook her head. He meant well, but he didn't understand. Brightpaw had been Daisyheart's apprentice. I could never live up to that, but at the same time, I felt like I owed it to both of them to give mentorhood my all. After bidding my friends farewell, I crossed the camp to where Brightpaw sat with her siblings and Gorsepaw, one of the few GreenClan cats to side against the Order. Brightpaw and Gorsepaw were sitting fairly close to each other, and I feared that I'd interrupted something. But I needn't have worried too much; Brightpaw's eyes lit up when she saw me, and she jumped to her feet. "I'll catch you guys later," she said, bumping Gorsepaw with her shoulder and licking Flowerpaw's cheek. Then she joined me, and we headed out of the camp. "We're practicing hunting, right?" she asked, a purr of excitement underlaying her tone. I glanced at her amusedly. "You're in a good mood." Playfully swatting her paw at me, she said, "I'm always in a good mood!" I laughed and ruffled her fur, making it stick up like a porcupine's quills. She huffed at me and batted me with her forelegs, and we tumbled into the underbrush, wrestling. "You've gotten good," I said, panting as I barely dodged one of her swipes. "I've always been good," she assured me. "Even without shadowhopping." Her smile faded. "Thank StarClan, because I hate shadowhopping." We clambered out of the tangle of bushes we'd fallen in, and I began pulling brambles with a sour look on my face; I had become considerably less fond of them after that horrible experience in the tunnels. "It's not as cool as everyone thinks it is, is it?" I asked quietly, plucking a leaf from her fur. "No, it's not," she murmured. "I honestly hate having a power; I'd rather just be normal." "You're chosen." "Cursed." "Special." "A freak." I sighed. "Brightpaw, I know what you're feeling like right now. Greatness is not an enviable burden, but..." I trailed off; she was looking at me like I was crazy. I wished so badly that Daisyheart was here; she would know exactly what to say in a situation like this. "Look, it sucks. I'm not gonna deny that. But it's like... you know how your parents always teach you that you have a choice between the right thing and the wrong thing? Sometimes that's true, and sometimes that's not. It's not always that clear. Sometimes no matter what you do, you... you hurt others." She blinked. "I'm not going to hurt anyone." "Of course you're not. That came out wrong." Great StarClan, help me. Or have the ground open beneath me and swallow me up. "Look, Brightpaw, you're extraordinary. You're never going to be able to settle for a 'normal' life; it's not who you are. Your destiny lies elsewhere." "Powers of legend." Brightpaw shook her head, eyes turning bitter. "Fat lot of good they did us, huh? Fire's sister is dead, Ryan is StarClan-knows-where, and I'm as lost as ever." "You're not lost," I said with unintended fierceness. "You're home. Eveningfall, Sleepypaw, Flowerpaw, Gorsepaw... everyone you love is here." Brightpaw blushed at Gorsepaw's name and stared hard at the ground. I take a deep breath. "Come on, let's get going." "And you," she said, so quietly I hardly heard her. "I love you too." I smiled, but her little face was solemn as could be. "I loved Daisyheart, and I miss her. I know you do too. But you're not just a replacement, okay? You've taught me so much, and I just wanted you to know that you are a good mentor. You don't need to doubt yourself so much. Not everything bad that happens is your fault." She gave me a wise look. "Sometimes no matter what you do, others get hurt. But that doesn't mean you hurt them. It's just the cost of the fight." Speechless, I stared at her with my mouth hanging open for a solid minute. "When did you get so smart?" "I've always been smart, too." A bit of lightheartedness returned to her gaze. "Now, don't we have training to get to?" "Right. If we haven't already scared off all the prey with our play-fighting." "Ah well, if worst comes to worst we can just--" She broke off abruptly. "Did you hear that?" A rustle in the undergrowth. I moved closer to Brightpaw, shielding her as we turned in a slow circle, scanning our surroundings. "Probably just a mouse," Brightpaw laughed nervously, but the twisting feeling in my stomach told me otherwise. A foul, familiar scent hit my nostrils: singed fur and dried blood and decaying flesh. Duskwatcher. My blood ran cold. "Breezeflight? What is it?" Brightpaw asked, fear creeping into her tone. I ignored her, trying to pinpoint exactly where Duskwatcher was. I spotted the gleam of a golden gaze near a holly bush and tensed my muscles, prepared to spring. "When I say run, you run. Get help. Got it?" "But--" "Run!" I pounced towards the holly bush, doing my best to approximate where Duskwatcher was. I failed miserably, and got a faceful of thorns for my efforts. Man, I was beginning to hate bushes. Something cannoned into my side, and I went skidding across the dirt. Claws buried themselves in the folds of fur between my ribs, cruelly hooking into the tender flesh. Vision blurring with pain, I twisted around, sinking my teeth into a scaly foreleg. The taste of his skin was foul; it was like biting down on ashes. It was fragile too. Blood bubbled into my mouth till I was forced to let go, spitting and struggling for breath. "Scum. Breezeflight, you have interfered with far too many of my plans. Once I kill you, you meddling mother goose, the cleansing of SpringClan will go a lot easier." Duskwatcher's breath, hot and rancid, curdled at the back of my neck as he flipped me face-first into the dirt, pressing my muzzle down. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't breathe. My vision exploded with stars. I braced my forelegs in the dirt and used all my strength to push upwards, throwing him off of me. He landed on all four paws. I turned to face him, and felt my stomach roll at what I saw. The fall from High-Rock--which I still didn't know how he survived--had left its mark. A long, bloody tear ran along his throat and chest where the rocks had sliced him. The puckered, burned skin around the gash looked too worn out to heal; it was greenish around the edges, and looked infected. "You're wondering why I didn't die for the second time in a row. Easy, Breezeflight. I have something to live for." His gold eyes glittered with malice.'' "Your death. The deaths of all who have contaminated SpringClan. You have forgotten my beautiful Shinecloud, and have harbored the deranged she-cat who murdered her. You will pay. I am the Terror, Breezeflight, and I will make you fear me."'' "I am going to kill you." "Are you? Your own Clanmate?" he demanded tauntingly. Something crackled in the bracken behind him, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Duskwatcher!" A patrol of SpringClan cats came dashing upon us, led by Bluebird. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in disbelief and horror at being face-to-face with the ghost of his brother. Dewfrost stepped out past Bluebird, looking calm and collected as ever. "Encircle him, make sure he can't get out." "Where are you taking him?" I asked, trying to process things. "We'll put him on trial at the Clan. We can't kill him out here. He is--was a Clan cat." Relief flowed through me, coward that I was. It wasn't up to me. Duskwatcher's fate wasn't in my paws. The shock when we marched Duskwatcher through the camp entrance was palpable. Lilyshade's face drained of blood, and she pressed tightly to Blackheart's side. Nighthawk let out a shout of anger and lunged forward; Dewfrost had to pull him back. My friends didn't say anything, but I could see that Fire's eyes were dark with mistrust. Minkears's gaze was focused on Bluebird, who looked like he was marching to his own execution. "Dewfrost, what are you doing, bringing that killer in here?" demanded Cloverflower, standing outside the nursery with Poolkit and Petalkit peeking out from around her legs. "He's a monster!" "We are putting him on trial," Dewfrost said coldly. "And it's not up for the entire Clan to discuss: only a few select warriors." "You're not bringing him into our homes," hissed Nighthawk. "Don't you remember? You're not leader yet." Anger flashed through Dewfrost's eyes, but he suppressed it quickly. "You're wrong. I am leader already, and I don't need a title to prove it. Get out of the way. Thistleblossom, Goldenburst, Lilyshade, and Breezeflight, please come into the leader's den with me. Minkears, Specklenose, I want the two of you to guard Duskwatcher while we confer." Minkears and Specklenose hurried forward, exchanging worried looks. "Be careful," I whispered to the two of them as I ducked into the leader's den. "Lilyshade, Breezeflight, sit on the left, and Thistleblossom and Goldenburst sit on the right." His eyes traveled to me. "I want you to tell us exactly what happened when you and that Twolegplace tom, Ren, got attacked. Then Lilyshade, you'll recount how Quailstar died." I swallowed. Ren and I had gotten attacked while he was walking me home from Twolegplace, where I'd gone in a fit of recklessness and sorrow after Daisyheart's death. But they didn't need to know that, so I kept the story succinct only describing the attack itself. When I was done talking, Goldenburst's face was wrinkled in concern, and Thistleblossom's in disgust. By the time Lilyshade was done telling her story, I could already see the verdict written across the faces of the other two cats. Dewfrost seemed to realize it too, but he still asked, "What is the decision on Duskwatcher?" "Guilty of attack, murder, and assassination of the Clan leader," said Goldenburst promptly. His eyes were shining with passion, and I realized what it would've cost him if Duskwatcher had killed me so shortly after losing Daisyheart. I felt a pang of regret for all the worry and heartbreak he had to endure; with Ivyrose living with Twolegs, he had no one but me. I couldn't leave him. "And the sentence?" "Death," snarled Thistleblossom. The word seemed to pierce through the walls of the leader's den, because seconds later, we heard a commotion outside, shouting and chaos. As I skidded out into the camp, I saw complete pandemonium. Cats were clustered in a tight ring around Duskwatcher, yelling incoherently at the top of their lungs. Getting closer, I saw that Duskwatcher had Minkears pinned underneath him, claws at her throat. "If anyone makes so much as a move towards me, I'm cutting her open right now," he hissed. He looked up, his eyes finding mine. "Ah, Breezeflight. She's your best friend, isn't she? It'd kill you to lose another one, wouldn't it?" I couldn't speak; the hatred inside me was too strong. So this is what it's like to really want to kill. "Brother." Bluebird's eyes were broken, but his voice was strong. "Please don't do this. This isn't you." "This isn't Duskwatcher. I'm not Duskwatcher. I am the Terror, and you cannot stop what's about to happen, Bluebird." Something shifted in Bluebird's deep cobalt eyes. Something feral and dangerous. "Watch me," he hissed, and he sprung. A strangled sound burst from my throat; I was sure that Duskwatcher had hurt Minkears. But she rolled out of the way as the two brothers fought in the dust. I ran forward and helped her to her paws. Her eyes were frantic. "Someone stop him!" she yelled. I wasn't sure if she was talking about Duskwatcher or Bluebird. "No one help!" Bluebird yelled as he fought Duskwatcher. "It has to be me. I have to end this." He slammed his brother to the ground. "You killed Hawkeye, Thornfeather, and Quailstar. You tried to kill Breezeflight, Ren, Lilyshade, and Minkears. You have to pay." "Brother... Bluebird... You don't have the guts to do this." Bluebird's eyes filled with pain as he looked down at Duskwatcher, cringing, bleeding, pathetic and forlorn as he curled on the ground. "It shouldn't be like this," he whispered. "You were my brother. I love you. But you wouldn't want this. Shinecloud wouldn't want this." He raised his claws. "Be free." He brought his claw down in a clean arc. There was a soft exhale of air, a last breath. Duskwatcher's head flopped back, his neck lolling lifelessly, his fearsome golden eyes glazing over. An audible gasp rose from the watching warriors. Bluebird turned, tears streaming down his face, and wordlessly stalked into the warriors' den. "He just killed his own brother," Eveningfall said in a horrified voice. He had to do it, I realized. It was the right choice. Someone got hurt. But it was the right choice. "Cats of SpringClan, gather beneath high-rock to hear what I have to say." The familiar call in an unfamiliar voice. My Clanmates assembled at once, avoiding the patch of dust where Duskwatcher had fallen, which was still splattered with droplets of blood. My former mentor stood atop the high-rock in a regal stance. I felt a surge of pride within me. He will lead this Clan well. I know it. "I have received my nine lives and my leader's name. I am now Dewstar." "Dewstar! Dewstar! Dewstar!" I chanted louder than anyone around me, though it didn't escape my knowledge that a few cats weren't chanting at all. I understood why. The Order, Quailstar's madness and death, Duskwatcher's madness and death... it didn't bode well for a new leader. But didn't they realize that in difficult times, backing up your leader was more important than ever? We had to stand strong, united. It was the only way. "But I have more titles to give out, so bear with me. First, I must choose my second-in-command, a cat who I trust to lead beside me and take over when I am gone." Beside me, Minkears started. "Deputy! I totally forgot we didn't get a new one yet." "I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of SpringClan is Goldenburst." A tingle of joy ran through me as I saw the cat who had always treated me like his own daughter look up in bewilderment. "Thank you, Dewstar," Goldenburst said, bowing his head and licking the new leader's shoulder. "It will be an honor to serve alongside you." After the cheers for the new deputy had died down, Dewstar resumed speaking. "I'm not quite done yet--yes, that's right, Poolkit and Petalkit, more boring ceremonies. But quit rolling your eyes; I think you'll like this one." Cloverflower let out a loud gasp, ushering her daughters forward. "Poolkit, Petalkit, you have both reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Poolpaw and Petalpaw. Poolpaw, your mentor will be Cherrynose. Cherrynose, you did a wonderful job with your first apprentice, and I trust you will do even better with your second. Petalpaw, your mentor will be Eveningfall." As the Clan began yelling the names of the new apprentices, Poolpaw and Petalpaw scurried forward to touch noses with their mentors. Beside me, Brightpaw whispered into my ear, "Two new apprentices? That makes five of us, plus Gorsepaw. The apprentice den is gonna be so crowded. He could've made me and my siblings warriors to help out with that." I grinned. "But you get more time with me as your mentor instead." She purred. "True enough." "I have one last announcement." Dewstar's voice was somber, and the celebration diminished till the Clan was silent, looking up at him expectantly. "As you all know, Viperstar and his Clan left our camp." "Good riddance!" called Nighthawk, and a few other cats chorused their agreement. "Odessa, his mate, is also missing." Someone shifted in the crowd near me. Hollystrike. The former GreenClan deputy was staring at the ground, her eyes glazed with sorrow. "This leaves their two kits, Owlkit and Vixenkit, alone with no one to care for them." Not their kits. Odessa and Rabbitfur's. ''But it didn't make a difference. Rabbitfur was dead, Odessa was missing, and Viperstar had left. Owlkit and Vixenkit were utterly abandoned. "Now that Poolpaw and Petalpaw are apprenticed, Cloverflower has agreed to remain in the nursery and continue nursing Owlkit and Vixenkit. She will treat them as her own, which means so shall we. They are in the nursery resting right now, but all of SpringClan welcomes the new additions. Owlkit! Vixenkit!" As my Clanmates got over their surprise and joined in with the chanting, I realized something that sent a chill through me. No one knew. My friends and I were the only ones who knew Rabbitfur sired Odessa's kits. The rest of the Clan thought Viperstar had abandoned his kits, and that if he wanted them, he would've taken them with him when GreenClan left. But I realized the truth: he had left them to die. He wanted them to die. Which meant we were painting targets on our backs--especially Cloverflower--by protecting these kits and making them our own. If Viperstar wanted vengeance on his cheating mate, and something told me he would, he would never let Owlkit and Vixenkit live. I could speak up now, and warn my Clanmates. But what if they took it to heart? What if they decided Viperstar wasn't worth messing with on this, and left the kits to die? I kept my mouth shut as, around me, the Clan welcomed the new additions. This was why I loved SpringClan, I thought, heart warming. My Clanmates were welcoming kits they thought were the offspring of our archenemy into our folds. We had our faults--just look at Duskwatcher. We were broken, same as everything in the world. But at the end of the day, broken or not, my heart lay with this Clan, and the hope that it would live on forever. I couldn't betray Owlkit and Vixenkit. Couldn't even betray Odessa, who had tried to kill us but ended up killing her true love, who had left her kits and ran for her life. ''She left them here because she wanted them to live. Viperstar left them because he wanted them to die. "Well," I muttered, "they're going to live." We all would. No kind of fear or terror could drive us apart. We were SpringClan. The End Category:Vale